MY MONTH IN BURMA: PART XIV

THE RETURN TO MANDALAY or

BYE BYE BURMA

28 Day Expense Report Included at the End

I am outside Mr. Kid’s Hsipaw guesthouse at 5:30 am and the bus is right on time. The bus trip is surprisingly fast. I sleep the first 2 hours. We arrive in Mandalay at 10:30 am, earlier than I expected. Taking a scooter taxi from the bus station to the AD1 guesthouse I must look a sight. The driver has my large backpack between himself and the handlebars, while I wear my day pack and camera bag hanging onto the seat by fingertips.

Checking in, I find a fairly basic room but clean with a private BR (hot shower)–a big step up from the last Mandalay dump and about the same price. The staff is warm and friendly Free wifi and a rooftop breakfast are included. They arrange a shared taxi to the airport for me the following morning with a civilized 10:15 am pickup.

Novice nuns collecting alms (rice) outside the AD1 Guesthouse

With the benefit of time on my side I want to check out the two attractions I had hoped to see last time here. I take a moto-taxi to the bottom of Mandalay Hill and do the 45 minute barefoot walk up 1,729 steps to the top, enjoying the views and shooting photographs. It is a somewhat laborious and sweaty climb and I see very few tourists on the way up; although, there are a few stations with the usual vendors looking quite bored.

Enormous image of Lord Buddha midway in my Climb

When I get to the top I discover there are lots of tourists. Apparently, there is a modern elevator from a parking lot where the jumbo tourist buses park. As this is a most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site, it somehow seems unproper to me to cheat your way up. I am glad I walked and yes sometimes ignorance is bliss.

As sunset nears, the edges become packed with tourists. I decide I have seen enough sunsets and do not want to fight the crowds for a little peek. I head down 20 minutes or so before the sunset. About halfway down and all alone, I get a surprise and am treated to the most unique and magical sunset view through a garden and over the Irrawaddy! Who says there is no such thing as karma?

In the evening I take another moto to see the Moustache Brothers perform. Two of the three brothers served six years of hard labor for making jokes about the regime during a performance at the home of Aung San Suu Kyi in 1996. Pressure from Amnesty International, Suu Kyi (herself under house arrest for 15 years and currently a member of the parliament) and such American heavy-weight comedians as Bill Maher finally resulted in their release.

Currently under house arrest, they still perform in the garage of their house with their wives and a couple of grown children. Combining song, dance, video, cardboard signs and political commentary, some of the humor is a bit obscure and hard to understand for Westerners as only one brother speaks some English. But I feel like I am witnessing a small part of history. An appropriate ending to my month in Burma.

My 12:50 pm Air Asia flight to Bangkok the following day is smooth and I am back at New Siam II almost before I know it. Talk about culture shock. In Myanmar, they roll up the sidewalks and turn the lights out after 7:00 pm (if there is even electricity that day). Here, I go out for a drink and dinner at 9:00 pm and get a massage after that. I have landed back in the present time and all the convenience that encompasses. As I drift off into a deep sleep, there is only one thought. Ta-ta and mingalaba. I cannot wait to return to Burma!

Expense Report for My Month in Burma (28 days in USD)

Accommodations: $379.25

Bribes: $17

Entertainment (incl. tours): $158.52

Food: $168.81

Miscellaneous: $19.16

Transportation: $402.28

Total: $ 1,145.02

Daily Average: $ 40.89

Notes:

Not included-Air Asia flight Bangkok to Yangon- $104.16

Not included – Air Asia flight Mandalay to Bangkok – $152.00

Included – Air Asia internal flight Inle to Mandalay

When I left Bangkok I figured expenses would be higher than in Thailand so I budgeted $50/day. As you can see, I came in 20% under. I left Thailand with $2,500 in brand new crisp $100 bills (these are absolutely necessary for travel in Myanmar). I returned to Thailand with over $1,000 unspent. I liked that. btw, Burma is probably the safest place on earth to walk around with cash (see my travel tips).

About Philip

Philip has been traveling the world since 2008. He travels slowly, often on less than US$ 30 per day, but occasionally, he likes to splurge on more luxurious digs. He started this blog in 2011 to share his adventures and travel advice. "My goal is to help people get over the unnecessary fear of long-term travel and experience the rich tapestry of foreign cultures."

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TODAY I AM IN THAILAND

I have been roaming the globe since 2008. The greatest secret I have found is that I can travel for less money than I would spend to stay at home in California. During that time I have hiked, biked, kayaked, photographed and culturally experienced Latin America, New Zealand and the Pacific and Southeast Asia. Often living with local families and traveling on a shoestring, I see no signs of stopping anytime soon. This is my blog. If you sign up with your email below (and I will not share it) you will receive a notification whenever I post a new article. Check out my travel tips from time to time (I periodically add more). Also, please feel free to leave a comment. And do check back. I try to respond to all comments within 48 hours; however, sometimes the various vagaries of the internet and my travels cause it to be a bit longer.